WARM evenings have proved popular for moths this month as a group of keen eyed Marlborough residents spotted several species during Action for the River Kennet’s first moth night of 2018.
Crowds of people even spotted a barn owl at Stonebridge Wild River Reserve hunting for small mammals to eat alongside bats catching moths.
Anna Forbes ARK project officer who runs the moth nights said: "Insects including moths are drastically declining nationally, so
sharing our records is really important, as is managing areas
responsibly to enable moths to prosper. Moths are a major food source for bats as well as being pollinators. The June Moth Night was a thoroughly enjoyable evening for everyone."
Four moth traps were run for the evening in the water meadow that is jointly owned by ARK and Marlborough Town Council, drawing in hundreds of moths and nets were used to try to catch and count moths by keen volunteers.
ARK recorded over one hundred species, five of which are expected to be confirmed as new species for the registered Wildlife Site.
Another moth night will be held in July.
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